In Front of the Graves
by ArtisticFantasy
Summary: 3rd October, 1924. Father is defeated and Amestris is at peace. The demons of the past will not leave Edward Elric in peace though. One unexpected visitor might change his perspective, and maybe even implant some hope. Please read and Review! much appreciated.


**Hi, im new to the fanfiction community, i've only been reading some very recently for the first time. I love everything FMA since i discovered it only a few months ago, and i've already watched both animes and both movies. i have to work on collecting the manga though. Hiromu Arakawa has become my new idol to look up to for writing skill, characters and plot construction. not that im planning to copy her, just that I want to create characters and stories that are at least half as good as hers. Edward Elric is now my most favoured fictional character of all time. **

**anyway im probably just boring you, so here is my first fanfiction ever since my dismal attempt at Legend of Korra fanfiction... **

3rd October, 1924 - Resembool

Despite how much had changed, I still hadn't forgotten. October 3rd was now more than just a promise to never turn back, it was a vow to never forget my journey no matter how many years passed.

It was strange being home again, but I found it was also quite a comfort. The lush green fields and peaceful air were exactly the same as when I was a child. It was refreshing after living in Rush Valley. It was a good place with nice people, but it had never felt the same. I managed to convince Winry that our family needed some time off. Now the Rockbell's house had been turned into a holiday home for the us.

I had some other reasons besides that, but I didn't need to tell Winry; she knew. Now I was on my own again, walking the same path I first walked twenty years ago. Already I felt sombre as I approached the Resembool graveyard. Old, regrettable memories started creeping towards the forefront of my mind, memories I tried to contain as much as I could. However, I knew that there was no way to suppress it on this day. There was always a time to let it all go, and that time had come again.

I didn't really need to think as I passed through to find Mom and now… Dad. I knew this place like the back of my left hand. I had cut white wild flowers on my way there. I laid them on both and sat down, reading the names carved on them. I still remembered the shock from the news that I had also lost my father right after our victory against Father. Bastard, Of course he would leave right as Al and I finally got the chance to know him. I was surprised by how strong the pain was. After so much time telling myself that I hated him, it was all blown away by a single moment. all i could think about was that my last words i gave him were along the lines of "rotten father".

My mind wandered into nostalgia, and mine wasn't the good kind like most people have. I did what I never do unless I'm alone. I cried quietly, without sobbing.

I don't know how long I sat there when he came. I heard footsteps disturbing the silence of the grave yard. I quickly wiped away my tears, not knowing who it was. I didn't want the whoever had come to see that I had let down a few tears. I was surprised to see Aaron, my son walking nervously between the tombstones. I almost laughed at how cautiously he moved, as if he was afraid he would disturb the dead. When he spotted me, his nervousness seemed to disappear. he quickly walked over and looked over my shoulder in interest, trying to look at what I had been looking at.

I frowned; I hadn't expected him of all people to come. I didn't say anything until he was beside me. I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here, shouldn't you be with Trish?"

Aaron frowned and shook his head. "Trish was too busy reading, and I got bored. I couldn't get her to play with me so I wondered where you went."

I smiled. "So you came and found me."

"Yeah, I remembered Mom saying something you visiting Grandma." Aaron said while looking at the tombstone.

It occurred to me that Aaron was five years old now; the same age I was when mother died. I couldn't imagine him experiencing the same pain I did.

"Hey, it says Trisha! Does that mean you mean you named Trish after grandma?" Aaron suddenly exclaimed excitedly, as if he had just made an astounding discovery.

I chuckled "yes, though it was your mom's idea."

"What about my name?"

"You got your own unique name, your middle name is after your grandfather though."

Aaron squinted and tapped his chin with his finger as he thought hard to remember his middle name. "oh!" he shouted. "it was ho… hohen…"

I wondered if he would get it as the silence stretched.

"Hohenhiem!" he finally said. He went over to the tombstone next to mom's, looking at the engraved letters carefully.

"How am I supposed to spell that?!"

I laughed again. "Don't worry little man, you'll figure it out."

Aaron only sighed and came back to sit beside me. He stared at the gravestones again, his face blank.

I thought about how amazingly fast the small boy was at picking up on my mood as he looked up at me again, his gold eyes full of questioning concern. I was lucky to be alive after all my close calls, and even luckier to have him.

"I wish I could have met them, seems like they would have been nice." He said quietly as he looked back at the stone.

I sighed, smiling sadly. "There wasn't a kinder woman in the world than my Mom; she would have adored you and Trish."

"How did she die?"

My smile quickly disappeared. I thought about it carefully.

"When your uncle Al was four and I was five, our Mother died of a sickness that had been spreading across the East." I answered, my voice only just loud enough for Aaron to hear.

Aaron suddenly looked at me, gold eyes wide and blazing. he made the connection immediately. "That's my age… and Trish too!"

I looked at him as he turned away, eyes still wide, becoming more about fear and less about surprise. I knew he was thinking about losing me and Winry. Suddenly he got up to promptly sit on my lap and grabbed me around the waist, his head on my chest. He was wrapped around hard, I was having some trouble breathing. I laid my hands on his back, trying to give him some reassurance. I felt terribly guilty.

"Hey, it's okay little man, I didn't mean to scare you, im sorry."

"I.. I know…" his voice quivered. "but it's just so scary." He started to calm down and loosen his grip a little. I became filled with determination and affection for the frightened little boy in my arms.

I kissed the top of his head and said with conviction; a promise. "I won't leave you."

He let go and looked up at me after wiping his eyes with his sleeves. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do!" I say, frowning at him, indignant at the fact that he wouldn't believe me even if only for a second. He smiles and giggles a bit. I felt relieved.

"Ok Dad." he siad in a more even tone, though still a little shaken. I ruffled his hair.

Aaron, still sitting in my lap, gazed at the sky for a few moments. I looked up to see what he was looking at, but it was just clear blue sky with a few wispy clouds. I looked back at Aaron as he started speaking.

"I wonder if the dead do go to some other place we can't go, and that we'll go to the same place when we die." He looks at me and smiles. "Then I could meet Grandma and Grandpa, maybe even Mom's Mom and Dad too!"

I look up again, instantly thinking of Nina and Hughes as well. Once I believed in only what science could prove, but life had proven it to me otherwise. Humans were small, including their understanding and perception. Not even science could allow humans to know everything. What if there was a world beyond what I could see, perhaps even some kind of higher power? Sometimes I could barely believe that I had saved Amestris against such tiny odds. Perhaps it wasn't chance.

I looked at my son and said the only thing I could say. "I don't know."


End file.
